Six F1 drivers took victory at Le Mans in 1950-60s. Four of them actually formed winning pairs (Argentinian José Froilan Gonzalez and Frenchman Maurice Trintignant, then Italians Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini), while the other two both claimed a win for Ford (New-Zealander Bruce McLaren and American Dan Gurney), a year apart.
 

Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Maurice Trintignant, blazing the trail for Ferrari - After a long, hard battle with Jaguar, Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Maurice Trintignant triumphed at the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours with Ferrari, and also made history in Formula One. Gonzalez claimed the first of the Prancing Horse’s 229 Formula One wins at Silverstone on 14 July 1951. And again with Ferrari, on 22 May 1955, Trintignant became the first Frenchman to win a Grand Prix (he took his second win in Monaco in 1958, racing for Cooper). Back at Silverstone a month after his Le Mans win, the Argentinian took the second Grand Prix victory of his career.

Maurice Trintignant (1917-2005) - 15 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1950 and 1965 (1 win in 1954), competed in 81 Grands Prix from 1950 to 1964 (2 wins).

Jose Froilan Gonzalez (1922-2013) - 4 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, competed in 26 Grands Prix from 1950 to 1960 (2 wins).

Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari’s winning combination – In 1963, they became the first all-Italian duo to win Le Mans 24 Hours in a Ferrari. They also broke the distance record, covering more than 4,500 kilometres during the race. Both Scarfiotti and Bandini took a single win each for the Italian constructor in Formula One. The former won on home turf in 1966, while the latter triumphed in the Austrian Grand Prix in 1964. In April 1967, Bandini claimed a new lap record during preliminary testing ahead of the 24 Hours, but sadly died in an accident during the Monaco Grand Prix on 10 May. Scarfiotti also tragically lost his life while hill racing in Germany on 8 June 1968.

Ludovico Scarfiotti (1933-1968) - 8 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1960 and 1967 (1 win in 1963), competed in 10 Grands Prix from 1963 to 1968 (1 win).

Lorenzo Bandini (1935-1967) - 5 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1962 and 1966 (1 win in 1963), competed in 42 Grand Prix from 1961 to 1967 (1 win).

Dan Gurney and Bruce McLaren, drivers and constructors - The American and the New-Zealander both followed very similar career paths, in Formula One and at Le Mans. They both won the 24 Hours as Ford works drivers and both started out in F1 in the same year (1959). They both became racing car constructors and took their first win in that role at Spa-Francorchamps. A week after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours with Ford, Dan Gurney and his Eagle chassis triumphed in the Belgian Grand Prix. A performance echoed a year later in Belgium by Bruce McLaren at the wheel of a car bearing his name.

Dan Gurney (1931-2018) - 10 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1958 and 1967 (1 win in 1967), competed in 86 Grand Prix from 1959 to 1970 (4 wins).

Bruce McLaren (1937-1970) - 8 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1959 and 1967 (1 win in 1966), competed in 98 Grand Prix from 1959 to 1970 (4 wins).

 

Photo (Copyright - ACO Archives): Le Mans winners in 1954, Jose Froilan Gonzalez (seen here) and Maurice Trintignant form part of a select group of five drivers to have won at Le Mans and in Formula One with Ferrari. The other three are Phil Hill, Lorenzo Bandini and Ludovico Scarfiotti.